Kia Niro EV (e-Niro), one of the popular all-electric mainstream models, was recently tested in the northern Finland (70°N) at temperatures as low as -40°C (which by the way is also -40°F).
Will an electric car even start in such temperatures? Well, as it turns out, the extreme cold affects the car noticeably, but will not stop it from starting and driving.
“Do you think it will start and drive? Because remember, the media and the petrolheads constantly tell us that EV’s don’t work in the cold? So it can’t possibly start in -40, right?” – FinlandTony
At temperatures close to -40°C it’s important to remain very cautious with touching anything, including when disconnecting the car from the charging station.
According to the cold testing by FinlandTony, the Kia Niro EV starts without any problem and the screen remains functional. The car drives right away, although it’s clunky on the steering wheel, the regenerative braking is off (due to cold battery) and driving is accompanied by specific noises. The battery temperature was: -15°C to -24°C according to the app.
Overall, a pretty impressive outcome as many people have problems with conventional cars, even when the temperature is barely -10°C or -20°C.
The second video is an energy consumption test at about -34°C, of course with the heating on, and regen unavailable.
After 50.7 km (31 miles), the average energy consumption at about 66 km/h (41 mph) happened to be 27.6 kWh/100 km. A lot of energy was used for heating. The battery temperature improved to -7°C/-12°C.
“I do a 50km drive to test the consumption in the e-niro in these crazy cold temps. Results are surprising.”
